“I took a three-year hiatus from Ironman between COVID and pregnancy,” True told Ironman emcee Mike Reilly. “I like to think that if everything was normal during those three years this could have happened sooner. But anytime you can win it’s really special.”

The West Lebanon, New Hampshire native turned in a record-breaking performance on Sunday to claim her first ever full-distance Ironman.

She completed the 140.6-mile triathlon in 9 hours, 22 seconds, which was nearly 10 minutes faster than the previous record for the women’s division set by Heather Jackson in 2016.

True, 40, was the second women’s pro triathlete to complete the swim portion of the race, but quickly turned on the jets during the 112-mile bike ride.

She passed Rachel Zilinskas, who was in the lead at the start of the bike ride. True passed her around the 20-mile mark in the bike portion and held the lead until the very end.

While True was the first person in the women’s division to finish the bike, she didn’t have the fastest time. That belonged to Jackson, of Bend, Oregon, who was just six minutes behind True prior to the run.

True said she had prepared herself for the hills but hadn’t quite mentally prepared herself for all of the winds she endured, which likely slowed her down.

During the full marathon run, True didn’t show any signs of slowing down, but rather picked up the speed. Running at a pace of 7:04 per mile — the seventh fastest overall speed and the fastest in the women’s division — True was able to walk away with her first ever full-length Ironman title.

“It’s been on my list for a while, I’m just so happy it worked out this year,” True said to the Enterprise.

Jackson, a two-time Ironman Lake Placid champion, took second place in 9:16:23, while Jodie Robertson, of Melville, finished in third with a time of 9:22:02. Zilinskas took fourth place in 9:32:33, while Melanie McQuaid was fifth in 9:34:32.

True, who grew up in Cooperstown, said this race was really special and it’s the closest to a hometown race that she can have.

“I love racing Ironman, a race with this kind of history it’s super special,” True said to the Enterprise. “The community really gets behind it. It’s just one of those quintessential North American races that for a lot of us are on our bucket list, so I can check that off.”